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Inec, NCS Lay Blueprint for e-Voting in 2011
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) and the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) have joined forces to computerize voting in Nigeria, which would give boost to democracy.
Both organizations had in November last year, held a retreat to brainstorm and fashion out an effective e-voting system that would allow for improved casting of vote and effective collation of election results, to put an end to unsavoury incidents witnessed in recent elections.
Prof. Charles Uwadia, president of NCS, who read the communiqué from the joint retreat between Inec and NCS, commended the electoral body for its commitment to improving the nation’s electoral process through ICT, which would by extension improve the well being of the citizens.
The retreat, he said, was held to examine the entire gamut of the electoral process and determine the role ICT can play, and then bring that to fruition.
Uwadia disclosed that at the end of the retreat, it was resolved that such problems as mass thumb printing of ballot papers, ballot stuffing, ballot box hijack, impersonation of voters, errors due to manual collation of results, multiple registration, among others associated with the current voting system; can be overcome with e-voting system.
According to him, “the retreat recognized that Inec has an existing communication backbone based on satellite communication technology, which network consists of a satellite gateway (control center), located at the Inec headquarters and terminals installed at remote locations (Inec state offices and all the local government areas of the federation).”
But he said some of the terminals at the remote locations had been vandalized, and so the retreat recommends the replacement of the redundant/inactive terminals with portable/mobile terminals and the deployment of additional terminals during periods of elections.
He said that it was recognized that the cost of the space segment on the network has huge financial implications, hence the retreat recommends that the electoral body should subscribe to the size of the space segment needed for its operational purposes during non-election years while the requirement should be scaled up during election year to meet the demands for the election results collation and dissemination.
Prof. Maurice Iwu, Inec chairman, represented by Engr. Emmanuel Akem, Inec’s director of ICT, reiterated that Inec and NCS’ partnership is geared towards harnessing the goods of ICT in the electoral process, adding that the Commission had done a lot in deploying ICT but needs to improve on what has been achieved.
The retreat recommends that Inec should explore the use of the GSM¬-Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and General Pack Radio Service (GPRS) technologies to complement the existing light weight encrypted secure file socket transmission for election result transmission and collation.
It also recommends that when the systems for e-collation and e-dissemination of election results are fully implemented, the election results in Nigeria should under normal circumstances be published within the period of six hours after closing election polls in every part of the country.
The retreat identified machine failure, vote flipping, possibility of inaccurate transmission of election results, usability problems, as challenges associated with electronic voting system; while noting that these can be overcome with contemporary technologies.
It noted that electronic voting system offers the best available option to prevent election manipulation and to assure the integrity and sanctity of each vote that is cast, thereby recommending a system based on consensus protocol which will allow for three confirmatory evidences/witnesses/channels for each vote cast.
While recommending the distributed encryption technique for purposes of secured data transmission, the retreat re-emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive and accurate registered voters’ database – a critical national asset which must be well secured to provide the necessary platform for a reliable electoral system. This, the Inec needs to do in partnership with other relevant government agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigerian Immigration Service, among others.
The retreat observed that the level of skilled IT professionals in Inec needs to be enhanced through continuous training, and that Management and personnel of the Commission need requisite technology training to ensure smooth electoral process.
It recognized the need for Inec to strategically embark on programmes aimed at ensuring that the electorate and the entire public believe in its systems, processes and procedures.
The retreat, according to Prof. Uwadia, recommends that any e-voting machine that Inec might consider for deployment for the electoral process in Nigeria must possess the ability to capture at least 3-forms of confirmatory evidence for each vote cast, interface for real-time/wireless transmission of data, facility for accurate authentication of voters’ information, facility that allows the blind and visually impaired to cast votes unassisted.
Others include that the equipment battery life must last for a minimum of ten hours, must be fool-proof, tamper-proof and weather-proof to perform under any condition, have provision for verifiable audit trail; have provision that allows voters to confirm that their votes have been recorded as cast, voice prompt that could be customized in any Nigerian dialect, provision for automatic and periodic uploading of election results while voting is in progress.
Asked if the country is going to witness proper e-voting in the 2011 presidential elections, Engr. Akem said that would depend on how soon the resolutions at the retreat would be implemented, while stressing on the need for the amendment of the Evidence Act by the National Assembly to accommodate e-voting
Telecommunications services provider, Globacom, has admonished Nigerian workers to reflect on more ways of contributing further to the growth of the country.
In a solidarity message on the occasion of the 2024 International Workers’ Day, the company noted that Nigerian workers were resilient in spite of the challenges they encounter in the course of discharging their duties.
The telecommunications giant further noted that the story of Nigeria cannot be adequately chronicled without acknowledging the immense contributions of workers, both in the public and private sectors.
The day is observed on May 1 yearly in recognition of the contributions of workers all over the world and to advance fairer and more sustainable future by advocating for workers’ rights.
“We salute Nigerian workers on this day and commend them for the hard work, commitment, resourcefulness and industry which are essential for the growth of the economy of any nation,” Globacom said.
CWG Plc has announced a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering value to shareholders. Following a thorough review of the company’s financial performance and outlook, the Board of Directors has approved a substantial increase of 400per cent in dividend payout to shareholders.
This decision reflects CWG’s confidence in its financial stability, growth trajectory, and ability to generate sustainable returns. By enhancing the dividend payout, CWG aims to reward shareholders for their continued trust and support while reaffirming its commitment to creating long-term value.
Mr. Philip Obioha, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CWG Plc, said, “The decision to approve a 400% increase in dividend payout underscores our confidence in CWG’s performance and outlook. We are dedicated to delivering value to our shareholders and believe that this significant dividend increase is a testament to our commitment to shareholder value creation.”
This increase in dividend payout aligns with CWG’s strategic objectives to prioritize shareholder interests and maintain strong financial discipline. The Board remains committed to prudent financial management and sustainable growth, ensuring that CWG continues to be a reliable investment for shareholders.
As CWG continues to execute its growth strategy and expand its presence in the market, the Board anticipates that the increased dividend payout will further strengthen investor confidence and support CWG’s vision for the future.
CommunicationsWeek Media Limited, a certified global ICT company with over two million online subscribers, is delighted and proud to announce Prof. Yakub Aliyu, as the keynote speaker at Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture series 2024.
Aliyu, will be speaking on the theme: Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Good, The Complex and The Anticipated”, this leans heavily on the fact that AI changing our lives– we just need to know where to look today.
This year’s rebranded Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series is slated for Saturday, May 25, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
The event is the most prestigious annual event that brings together captains of industry in both technology and financial worlds.
According to Ken Nwogbo, CEO, Communication Week Media Ltd, organisers of the ABoICT Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series, “the choice of Prof. Yakub Aliyu is deliberate because of his exceptional career in Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.
He added that, AI is considered to have the potential to instigate a fourth industrial revolution,1 and is dramatically changing people’s patterns of interaction and economic activities.
“The traditional factors of production and physical capital and labour may no longer promote substantial economic growth. It is generally believed that AI will be one of the most important factors determining future economic growth,” he said.
A professor of microelectronics and a scholar-practitioner in artificial intelligence and deep machine learning for industrial applications and high-speed application processors. His research interests include Multimodal AI models for high-efficiency industrial robot applications and Human AI interactions.
He also has adjunct academic professorships at five African, USA, and UK universities. Holds a BS in Applied Physics Electronics from Karlsruhe and A Bello Universities in Germany and Nigeria, an MBA in International Business Management from the University of London, an MSEE (Master of Engineering, Electronics), and a Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from the University of Wales.
Prof. Aliyu is the global quality director for Bourns Inc., Riverside, California, USA, an electronics system, and components manufacturer. I oversee quality functions in 21 factories worldwide.
He has also held quality and operational management leadership positions at National Semiconductors, Bell Labs-Lucent Technology, Texas Instrument, Global Foundries, and Roper Technologies USA.
Authored and coauthored over 30 Advanced Technology United States-issued patents in High-Speed Application Processors and Contributed to over 40 international impact Journals, chapters, and conferences; FASI, SMIEEE USA, MIEE UK, M. Inst pf Physics Chartered Phys and C Eng UK.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Adewale Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Dr. Seyi Akindeind, co-founder, Digital Encode; Dr Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Director, Africa Data Centres.
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